Removable temperature regulating mechanism

ABSTRACT

A container (e.g. a bottle) with a removable temperature regulating mechanism. The temperature regulating mechanism includes phase change material. The temperature regulating mechanism may maintain a liquid (e.g. sports drinks) stored in the bottle at a substantially consistent temperature (e.g. approximately 1-3 degrees Celsius) for a reasonable period of time.

BACKGROUND

Beverages are an important part of the lives of all humans. Since the beginning of the human race, humans have been consuming beverages (e.g. water, juices, and alcohol) for sustenance and enjoyment. Over time, beverages have been crafted and developed tailored to the tastes and nutritional requirements of a given society. Along with the development of beverages, consumption habits and preferences have been cultivated specific to different beverages. For example, the sports drink Gatorade was first developed in the 1960s at University of Florida to rehydrate and to replenish carbohydrate (in the form of sugars sucrose and glucose) and electrolyte (sodium and potassium salts) depleted during aerobic exercise. Sports drinks are ideally consumed at a relatively cold temperature to help reduce the consumers body temperature during exercise and to enhance the flavor of the sports drink. For maximum enjoyment and body cooling effect, sports drinks may be ideally consumed between 1 degrees Celsius and 3 degrees Celsius.

It can be difficult in an exercise setting (e.g. a gym or outside sports field) to maintain sports drinks at its ideal serving temperature (e.g. 1-3 degrees Celsius) for a reasonable amount of time. For example, if athletes are playing a basketball game outside for several hours, it may be difficult to maintain their sports drinks at the ideal temperature of 1-3 degrees Celsius throughout duration of their game. Accordingly, it may be difficult for the athletes to properly rehydrate and maximize their athletic abilities.

SUMMARY

Embodiments relate to an apparatus including a container (e.g. a bottle). The container may include an outside interface which receives a temperature regulating mechanism. The temperature regulating mechanism may include phase change material. In embodiments, phase change material can maintain liquid (e.g. sports drink) in the container at a predetermined temperature (e.g. for sports drinks, approximately 1-3 degrees Celsius) for a prolonged period of time.

For example, athletes playing basketball outside may be using sports drinks to enhance their performance on the basketball court. Bottles of sports drinks with temperature regulating mechanisms including phase change material may allow for the sports drinks to be maintained between 1-3 degrees Celsius for the duration of their basketball game. If the sports drinks are maintained at the ideal serving temperature by the temperature regulating mechanism including phase change material, the cool sports drinks may reduce the athlete's body temperature and optimize their performance on the basketball court.

Since the temperature regulating mechanism may be removable, the temperature regulating mechanism may be used multiple times for different bottles. This aspect may allow for more economic deployment of liquids (e.g. sports drinks) that use temperature regulating mechanisms including phase change material. Since bottles of liquid (e.g. sports drinks) can be sold without a temperature regulating mechanism, manufacturing and consumer-costs may be reduced.

In embodiments, containers (e.g. bottles) of liquids (e.g. sports drinks) can be sold at room temperature. Upon attachment of a chilled temperature regulating mechanism including phase change material to containers, the liquid (e.g. sports drinks) can be conveniently chilled to an ideal serving temperature. Accordingly, refrigerating liquid (e.g. sports drinks) to an ideal serving temperature may be easily accomplished when refrigeration space is limited.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example cross-sectional view of a bottle with a temperature regulating mechanism containing phase change material attached to the bottle.

FIG. 2A is an example front view and FIG. 2B is an example perspective view of a bottle with a temperature regulating mechanism containing phase change material attached to the bottle, with the phase change material in a liquid substantially transparent state, indicating that the liquid (e.g. sports drink) inside the bottle is not at an ideal serving temperature.

FIG. 3 is an example perspective view of a bottle with a temperature regulating mechanism containing phase change material attached to the bottle, with the phase change material in a sold non-transparent state, indicating that the liquid (e.g. sports drink) inside the bottle is at an ideal serving temperature.

DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an example cross-sectional view of container 10 (e.g. a bottle) having temperature regulating mechanism 16 attached to the outside wall 14 of container 10, in accordance with embodiments. In embodiment, temperature regulating mechanism 16 includes phase change material. In embodiments, temperature regulating mechanism 16 may maintain liquid (e.g. sports drink) inside the container 10 at a predetermined temperature (e.g. below room temperature) for a prolonged period of time. The predetermined temperature may be tailored to be the ideal serving temperature of the liquid. Liquid inside container 10 may be spirits (e.g. Vodka, Gin, or other spirits), wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverages (e.g. juice, soda, sports drinks, water), and/or non-beverage liquids.

In embodiments, container 10 may be a bottle with cap 12. The outside wall 14 of container 10 (e.g. a bottle) may have an interface to removably attach temperature regulating mechanism 16. Outside wall 14 may have an indentation to fit temperature regulating mechanism 16, in accordance with embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that other ways to interface temperature regulating mechanism 16 to outside wall 14 of container that would be obvious. In embodiments, when temperature regulating mechanism 16 is attached to container 10, temperature regulating mechanism 16 complements the shape of container 10.

Temperature regulating mechanism 16 may include a case and phase change material, in accordance with embodiments. Phase change material may be contained inside the case. The case may include cap 18 in accordance with embodiments. In other embodiments, the case does not include a cap and phase change material is contained inside the case without any opening. The case may be substantially transparent, allowing for the physical state of the phase change material to be visible from the outside of container 10, in accordance with embodiments. In embodiments the case of temperature regulating mechanism may be non-transparent.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are external views of container 10 with temperature regulating mechanism 16 having a substantially transparent case. When the phase change material of temperature regulating mechanism 16 is in a liquid substantially transparent state, temperature regulating mechanism may appear transparent, in accordance with embodiments. FIG. 3 illustrates container 10, when the phase change material of temperature regulating mechanism 17 is in a solid non-transparent state.

Phase change material is a class of materials that use phase changes (e.g. melting or freezing) to absorb or release relatively large amounts of latent heat at relatively constant temperatures. Phase change material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,971 to Suppes, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Phase change materials allow for a micro encapsulation and a customized melt/freeze point. When the temperature becomes warmer than the freezing point, phase change materials liquefy and absorb and store heat. Conversely, when the temperature drops, the material will solidify and give off heat, warming the material coated or impregnated with phase change material.

Phase change materials are used for a wide range of applications in the industry, and are far superior to and comparable with ordinary ice or freeze gel for many applications. For example, the U.S. army uses a cold vest filled with a phase change material to keep soldiers cool in hot conditions; the material interacts with body heath. Phase change material may be used as an insulator for Pizza delivery packaging to keep the pizza hot during transport. It may be used in air conditioning devices to accumulate cold in order to save electricity consumption.

In embodiments, phase change material maintains liquid (e.g. sports drinks) in a bottle at approximately 1-3° C. In embodiments, a liquid can be maintained at a prescribed temperature that is specifically tailored for the ideal temperature of the liquid (e.g. sports drinks). Phase change material used may be non-toxic and may be made out of food grade materials such as soy. In embodiments, phase change material is tailored to have a melting and freezing point of between approximately 1° C. and 3° C. In other words, between approximately 1° C. and 3° C. or below, the phase change material will be frozen and temperatures above 1-3° C. the phase change material will be a liquid. When the phase change material is a solid and starts to melt to become a liquid, it may absorb large amounts of heat from its surroundings and thereby keep it cooler. Conversely when phase change material starts to go from a solid state to a liquid state it will release large amounts of heat and therefore aids in preventing contained liquid from getting too cold too quickly. It is the actual process of melting and freezing of phase change material that assists in temperature moderation.

In embodiments, phase change material in temperature regulating mechanism 16 may maintain liquid (e.g. sports drink) inside container 10 (e.g. a bottle) at a predetermined temperature (e.g. between approximately 1° C. and 3° C. if the liquid is sports drink). Phase change material may interact with and absorb the temperature from liquid inside container 10 through a physical reaction associated with the phase change material. For example, when container 10 containing phase change material is chilled at temperatures below the freezing point of the phase change material (e.g. between approximately 1° C. and 3° C. for a sports drink container), phase change material will solidify. When container 10 is taken out of the chilled environment, phase change material may absorb extra heat from its surroundings. The heat is absorbed and stored in the phase change material and not in the liquid. This may assist in keeping liquid chilled at a prescribed temperature (e.g. an ideal serving temperature between approximately 1° C. and 3° C. for sports drink).

In embodiments, temperature regulating mechanism 16 including phase change material may act as a temperature control device for temperature maintenance and moderation of liquid (e.g. sports drinks) inside container 10. For example, in the case of sports drinks, temperature regulating mechanism 16 including phase change material may keep and maintain the sports drink for a prolonged period of time (e.g. 1.5 hours) at an ideal serving temperature. Temperature regulating mechanism 16 including phase change material may also prevent liquid inside container 10 from cooling down too fast.

In embodiments, the appearance of phase change material inside temperature regulating mechanism 16 may indicate if the temperature of the contained liquid (e.g. sports drink) is at an predetermined set temperature (e.g. the ideal serving temperature of approximately 1-3° C. for sports drinks). In embodiments, the appearance of the phase change material inside temperature regulating mechanism 16 may be discriminated by the level of transparency and/or the color of phase change material. The level of transparency and/or color of the phase change material may be a result of phase change material transitioning from a liquid state to a solid state. For example, when liquid in container 10 is maintained at a predetermine temperature (e.g. approximately 1-3° C. for sports drinks), phase change material may be in a solid state (as shown in example FIG. 3). Likewise, the phase change material may change color when it transitions from a liquid state to a solid state, indicating that the liquid (e.g. sports drink) is at a predetermined temperature. The predetermined temperature is reflected in the chemistry of the phase change material, which may be tailored for a specific application (e.g. sports drink consumption at approximately 1-3° C.).

FIG. 2 illustrates container 10 when phase change material inside temperature regulating mechanism 16 is in a liquid substantially transparent state, in accordance with embodiments. When phase change material inside temperature regulating mechanism 16 is in a liquid substantially transparent state, it may be an indication to a consumer that liquid 18 is not at a predetermined ideal serving temperature (e.g. above 1-3 degree Celsius for sports drinks).

FIG. 3 illustrates container 10 when phase change material inside temperature regulating mechanism 16 is in a solid non-transparent state, in accordance with embodiments. When the phase change material is in a solid non-transparent state, it may be an indication to a consumer that the liquid inside container 10 is at the predetermined ideal serving temperature (e.g. approximately 1-3 degrees Celsius for sports drinks).

The foregoing embodiments (e.g. a container with a removable temperature regulating mechanism including phase change material) and advantages are merely examples and are not to be construed as limiting the appended claims. The above teachings can be applied to other apparatuses and methods, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 

1. An apparatus comprising: a container; and an interface on the outside of the container configured to receive and attach a temperature regulating mechanism that comprises phase change material.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container is a bottle.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container is configured to store liquid.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the temperature regulating mechanism is configured to maintain the liquid at a predetermined temperature.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the predetermined temperature is below room temperature.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the liquid is sports drink and the predetermined temperature is between approximately 1 and 3 degrees Celsius.
 7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the appearance of the phase change material indicates if the temperature of the liquid is at approximately the predetermined temperature.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein: the liquid is at approximately the predetermined temperature if the phase change material is in a solid non-transparent state; and the liquid is above the predetermined temperature if the phase change material is in a liquid substantially transparent state.
 9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the melting point of the phase change material is at approximately the predetermined temperature.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein temperature regulating mechanism comprises a case that contains the phase change material.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the case is substantially transparent.
 12. The apparatus of claim of claim 10, wherein the case is non-transparent.
 13. An apparatus comprising a temperature regulating mechanism, wherein: the temperature regulating mechanism comprises phase change material; and the temperature regulating mechanism is configured to be coupled to the outside of a container.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the container is a bottle.
 15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the container is configured to store liquid.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the temperature regulating mechanism is configured to maintain the liquid at a predetermined temperature.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the predetermined temperature is below room temperature.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the liquid is sports drink and the predetermined temperature is between approximately 1 and 3 degrees Celsius.
 19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the appearance of the phase change material indicates if the temperature of the liquid is at approximately the predetermined temperature.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein: the liquid is at approximately the predetermined temperature if the phase change material is in a solid non-transparent state; and the liquid is above the predetermined temperature if the phase change material is in a liquid substantially transparent state.
 21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the melting point of the phase change material is at approximately the predetermined temperature.
 22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein temperature regulating mechanism comprises a case that contains the phase change material.
 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the case is substantially transparent.
 24. The apparatus of claim of claim 22, wherein the case is non-transparent. 